Rivalry
by g-sus
Summary: Ino muses about the source of her rivalry with Sakura.  Naruto/Sakura, Ino/Naruto


**Title:**Rivalry  
><strong>Genre:<strong>Romance, comedy  
><strong>Chapters:**1/1  
><strong>Pairings: **Naruto/Sakura, Ino/Naruto  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Ino muses about the source of her rivalry with Sakura. {Naruto/Sakura, Ino/Naruto}  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>Naruto is a manga created by Masashi Kishimoto and is in no way affiliated with this fiction. The plot however, is a product of my own intellect, please do not duplicate or repost anywhere else without my expressed permission. Thank you.

You had to be as dim as Naruto to not know that the blonde's heart lay with the pink haired, annoying, whiny _bitch, _Sakura. Ino couldn't believe she ever considered her to be a friend, for a small period of time Ino even thought Sakura was her best friend. What a load of shit. Best friends don't take everything away from their 'best friend'. What was worse was that Sakura wasn't even aware she had yanked the world out from under her feet and left her behind, chasing after that pompous asshole Sasuke. No, Sakura wasn't as smart as she thought herself to be.

If Sakura was really as perceptive as she claimed she was, she would have noticed Ino's blossoming romantic feelings for Naruto before she had even noticed them develop. Sakura wouldn't have fuelled their so called 'rivalry' for Sasuke by taunting her and treating her like shit. Sure she played along; she didn't want to like Naruto. He was a loser, an outcast, everyone thought so. To avoid being treated like an outsider for taking and interest in him, Ino pretended to like the Uchiha prince.

She really didn't understand how anyone could actually like the Uchiha, he was such a prick. So what if he was the last of his family? So what if he was the top of the class, had great looks and a piercing gaze? All of it counts for nothing if you have the emotional intelligence of a sea cucumber and the personality as shallow as... as Sakura.

What made her even angrier was that Sakura was smarter than her without putting in as much blood, sweat and tears as she did. Sakura didn't need to study for as long as Ino to understand such simple concepts, Sakura didn't have to do anything to earn Naruto's love. What did Naruto even see in her? The only good then about her are her exotic looks, the things Ino would do for pink hair – ice blonde hair is such a mediocre colour. Sakura was able to make Ino feel inadequate and incompetent in everything she did, it frustrated her to no end that Sakura just seemed to have things given to her without her putting in the same amount of effort as Ino did.

She didn't even know when she started to take notice of Naruto. Maybe it was the brilliant golden colour of his hair in the sun, possibly the royal blue eyes of his that deepened to a stormy blue when he was angry or lightened to a serene sky blue when he was happy. Maybe it was when she and Sakura were yelling at him for being rude to their 'Sasuke-kun' that Naruto stepped back as though their poisonous words physically assaulted him. Naruto's wide grin faded, the sides of his lips tugging down to form a frown. His fringe covered his eyes from their view, but not before Ino watched them fill with sadness. She had never seen him so broken, and if she had, she never noticed it before that day. She had long stopped her yelling, but Sakura was only getting started, stepping forward when he backed away to take a swipe at his head.

How could Naruto stand her? Why did he crave her attention? What did Sakura have that she didn't? She wasn't as terrible and bitchy as Sakura was, she personally didn't think she was sore on the eyes and she certainly knew she wasn't as grating to the ears. Yet Naruto overlooked her just like everyone else, Sakura consumed his mind and left no room for any thoughts of her.

Another day, another argument to be had over the duck ass head Sasuke with Sakura, another day of disappointment as Naruto's eyes moved over her to settle on Sakura.

'_Notice me...' _

"GOOD MORNING SAKURA, GOOD MORNING INO!" Naruto grinned happily, earning a sigh of annoyance from Sakura and a shocked silence from Ino.

"G-Good morning Naruto." Ino's face felt hot, her cheeks especially so. She couldn't remember the last time Naruto had greeted her and Sakura in the same sentence.

The thought of being greeted at the same time as Sakura brought a smile to her previously frowning face; it was as though she was finally at the same level as Sakura in Naruto's eyes. It could be wishful thinking, but she clung to the thought regardless, it felt good to feel as though she had taken a step closer to Naruto and away from Sakura.

Sakura rolled her eyes and turned to fawn over the ice prince sitting on his throne all high and mighty, ignoring everyone and brooding to himself.

"He's an asshole and yet every girl wants to continue on his name..." Ino muttered to herself.

"Good to know someone here has some brains." Naruto laughed, nodding in approval at Ino's comment.

"I was wrong about you; you're not too bad Ino-chan." Naruto smiled sweetly at her, a real smile, not a wide idiotic grin like every time before. He looked so angelic with his gentle eyes and genuine smile, Ino wanted to see him like that every day.

Naruto turned away from her and his real smile was replaced by his now painfully obvious mask of idiocy and happiness; he clambered over to where Sasuke was sitting to loudly challenge him yet again, to a fight. Ino watched the scene unfold before her, not really registering what was going on. She watched as Sakura began her verbal abuse of Naruto again, watching as she struck him in Sasuke's defence as the boy just sat there letting his bitch do the dirty work for him with a cocky smirk on his face. Oh how Ino wanted to storm over there and slap the smirk off his face, and maybe slap Sakura too, because she always wanted too.

Naruto was the one to slap Sakura first before Ino had the chance to open her mouth, she would have taken further delight if the slap was one of physical form, however she was happy to settle with his verbal insult.

"Jeez Sakura-chan when you get really angry, you're face goes really really pink and you look like an angry pig."

Sakura reeled back as though his words were a slap to the face, her cheeks tinting a darker shade of pink as the classroom roared with laughter. Even Sasuke smirked at Naruto's comment, while Sakura began screaming bloody murder at Naruto once more.

'_Looks like I'm going to win bitch.'_


End file.
